Two recent opinion pieces consider how generative AI is reshaping student learning and engagement. In a piece in Chronicle of Higher Ed, Derek O’Connell (Illinois State University), draws on emerging research to show how widespread AI use can foster “the illusion of competence,” where students feel they are learning while bypassing critical cognitive work. Similarly, John Warner in an Inside Higher Ed piece reflects on his own undergraduate experiences and contrasts them with insights today’s student, arguing that today’s learners are adopting an efficiency-focused approach to learning via an “optimization mindset”—much like his own as a student, but amplified by modern technology. Together, these pieces highlight the need for institutions to guide students toward using AI in ways that support, rather than replace, deep learning.
